The Department of Development Control within the Abuja Metropolitan Management Council has called upon the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to join forces in combating the rising prevalence of land grabbing and unauthorized developments in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
This was disclosed in a post on the official X handle of the EFCC, on Friday, February 16.
The Director of the department, Mukhtar Usman Galadima, who led a delegation of other senior officials of the department on a courtesy visit to the Abuja corporate headquarters of the EFCC, on Thursday, February 15, 2024, noted that there is an upsurge in the case of land grabbing and unapproved development within the FCT, and the department cannot fight fight it alone.
The caption reads: “We are here specifically to seek collaboration in view of the fact that the Commission is for the fight against economic and financial crimes. In recent times, there is an upsurge in the case of land grabbing and unapproved development, and from the look of things, it is a well-coordinated syndicate which I believe, we alone as a department cannot fight effectively. That is why we came to you as the number one fighter against financial crimes in the country so that we can collaborate to fight these ever-increasing criminal activities.”
While responding to the request of the Department of Development Control of the Abuja Metropolitan Management Council, the EFCC’s Executive Chairman, Mr. Ola Olukoyede, who responded through the Secretary to the Commission, Mr Mohammad Hammajoda, said, “The issue you raised about the increasing trend of forgery of land documents and impersonation of original allottees is both worrisome and scary because of the endemic nature it has assumed at the FCT.
“It might interest you to know that we have a Property and Land Fraud Unit, dedicated to the city’s real estate matters, domiciled, not within our office complex but at the FCDA for the strategic reason of fighting from the theatre of war. Outcomes from the officers of that unit have been tremendous, yet we are ever ready and willing to do more in whichever area that falls within our mandate.”
The EFCC’s Director of Operations, Abdulkarim Chukkol, on his part urged the delegation to provide the commission with intelligence that would help them take decisive actions against real estate fraudsters in the city.
He finally reassured them that the Commission was open to the intervention and collaboration they sought.
Source: X | officialEFCC
